


Best-Laid Plans

by FoxRafer



Category: Doctor Who, Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-06
Updated: 2012-03-06
Packaged: 2017-11-01 13:43:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/357452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxRafer/pseuds/FoxRafer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was one of those days where everything they did, every theory they'd made, turned out to be wrong. And now it meant Martha was forced into a decision she never wanted to make.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best-Laid Plans

**Author's Note:**

> In this universe Star Trek is our actual future; it wasn't a tv show. Written for challenge 10 at [**picfor1000**](http://picfor1000.livejournal.com/). My [**assigned picture**](http://www.flickr.com/photos/enjoying_life_at_50_plus/3419445834/sizes/o/in/photostream/) (© ruby.magnay) made me think of forms of communication.

The distress call originated from a distant outpost ravaged by an earthquake. The Doctor stabilized the environmental controls while Martha started to help treat the injured. There was only one doctor on site, a man named Veikko who was wounded himself, and all of their advanced medical technology had either been destroyed or was inaccessible. An extra pair of hands was most welcome.

"This wasn't a natural disaster," the Doctor stated, determinedly marching into the triage area. "The Jikar are behind this and we have to track them; they will do this again."

Martha looked around the room. "We can't just leave them here like this. They need our help."

"And there'll be more scenes like this if we don't stop the Jikar."

He was already walking away, heading for the TARDIS. Martha turned toward Veikko, saw the look of desperation, then called out to the Doctor. "Come back for me."

He stopped short and wheeled on her. "There's no time to debate this."

"No debate. You track the Jikar. I'll stay here and help. And when you find them, come back for me and we'll go and stop them together." Seeing his dubious expression she continued. "What good's a time machine if you can't jump back and forth to achieve the greatest advantage."

"Martha..."

"Go. I'll be fine."

They stared at each other for a moment before the Doctor put out his hand. "Give me your phone."

He tweaked at it with his screwdriver before handing it back. "If you need me just press 0."

Martha nodded and watched him sprint out of the room then turned to give Veikko a reassuring smile. At that moment a strong aftershock rocked the structure, sending her sprawling to the ground. Her phone skittered across the floor and the moment she heard the TARDIS leaving a large cabinet came crashing down, sickeningly close to where her phone had stopped.

For a minute she couldn't take her eyes from the spot. Slowly she pushed up onto her feet and walked across. Her gut twisted seeing nothing but the smudged floor on either side. _He's coming back,_ she said to herself. _Everything's fine._ She cleared her throat, tried to clear her head of the momentary panic, then turned around and got back to work.

 

They'd been working for nearly an hour providing what aid they could under the deteriorating conditions as ever-increasing shockwaves continued to rock them. As much as her concern over the situation had grown, she was glad she'd stayed, even if only to have helped ease the suffering of those who could not be saved.

They'd seen to all but about a quarter of the wounded when a small group of people materialized out of thin air on the far side of the room.

"Thank heaven," Veikko murmured, getting up to greet them. After a few moments the group began to disperse around the room, scanning the injured with handheld devices while checking readings on larger units slung over their shoulder. One of the women passed a wand-like instrument across Veikko's head wound and shoulder, then gave him one of the devices. He removed his sling as he walked back to Martha and she marveled to see his injuries had mostly been healed.

"They're from the _Enterprise_ ," Veikko explained, "so the good news is we now have real equipment. The bad news is Doctor McCoy tells me the moon has broken orbit; we've been experiencing something like cosmic tremors. We're going to have to evacuate in the next five minutes. You'd better contact that friend of yours."

Instinctively she put her hand in her pocket, then remembered her problem. "My phone, it's.... Can you help me move this?" she asked, stepping over to the cabinet. Together they managed to shove it onto its side to reveal the shattered remains of her cell.

"Don't worry," Veikko said. "You can send a message from the ship." He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze then returned to the patients.

Picking up the pieces of her former phone, she looked around the room. Equipped with diagnostic and curative tools straight out of science fiction, this medical team had everything under control; she'd only be in the way if she tried to help now. Numbly she fingered the broken remnants of her cell, feeling an icy hand around her throat. She hadn't really been needed after all; she could have left with the Doctor.

_You know that's not true_ , she chastised herself. _An hour with only one doctor, some of these people would have died. And the Doctor is coming back._

She emphasized the last words in her mind to quell the doubt before it had time to grow. The Doctor would be excited about this, she imagined, thrilled at witnessing something new. All she could think was she didn't want to die here, didn't want her story to end so far away from all she held dear. If she couldn't call across time and space to bring him back, was it foolish to have so much faith in his return?

Suddenly groups of patients and members of the medical team began to fade away just as they had arrived. They're evacuating.

Veikko and one of the others walked over to her.

"This is Leonard McCoy. And this is Martha, the young doctor who helped me save these people."

"Much appreciated," McCoy said, shaking her hand. "I understand you're stranded. We'll beam onto the _Enterprise_ and you can send your ship a subspace message from there."

"Thank you, but I need to stay here. My ship will be back any minute."

"Young lady, we don't have minutes."

She could see it in his eyes. He was going to insist she come with him, could see him wanting to let her decide but not willing to let her choose death.

He flipped open a futuristic phone. " _Enterprise_ , three to beam up."

Martha began to back away from them. The Doctor was coming back. He'd be here. He would.


End file.
